by lewsauder | Jun 25, 2012 | Communication
One of the most critical consulting skills is communication. A good consultant needs to know when to communicate, when not to, and the most effective way to do it when it is necessary. The communication consulting skill Knowing how to communicate includes...
by lewsauder | Apr 26, 2012 | Communication
I once managed a project for a multi-site organization to implement software at each location. I held a weekly status conference-call with the company’s executives which included the branch manager from each location. In these calls, I would give an overall status of...
by lewsauder | Mar 5, 2012 | Communication
I’ve had to sit through my share of meetings to which I never should have been invited; and many meetings where I was only necessary for a minute or two, to provide an update. It’s one of the most infuriating things I endure as a consultant. Sitting in a 1-hour – or...
by lewsauder | Dec 19, 2011 | Communication
Every company and client that I’ve worked for has had what I considered a penchant for meetings. I’ve seen meetings to prepare for a meeting. I’ve also seen meeting leaders who take all of the time allotted for the meeting. If a one-hour meeting finishes in 45...
by lewsauder | Nov 21, 2011 | Communication
Once when I was on a consulting gig, we were deep in the requirements gathering stage. We had full, cross-functional team meetings twice a week and additional meetings with selected team members throughout the week. As the project manager and business analyst for the...
by lewsauder | Oct 31, 2011 | Communication
I’ve always considered meetings to be a necessary evil. There are times when the best thing to do is bring together the appropriate people to make a decision or just update a group of people on status. Far too often, a meeting is used as a way to defer or avoid...
